Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Campaign stuff (Updated)
Tuesday, Nov 14, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Afternoon roundup
Tuesday, Nov 14, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * The Economic Alliance of Kankakee County responds to continued complaints about the Gotion EV battery plant…
But only a single community member showed up to complain…
* Thinking big at UIUC…
* Politico…
* Common sense finally arrives after way too much disruption was allowed (some of it contrived and maybe even paid for)…
* Already?…
* From Isabel… * VOX | No Quiet in the Library: When she offered a toast at April’s Time 100 Gala in New York City, Tracie D. Hall, selected for Time magazine’s list of influential people, drew attention to librarians who have faced bomb threats, firings, and even jail time for resisting a growing effort to ban books. Hall, the first Black woman to head the Chicago-based American Library Association, received a standing ovation for her passionate declaration: “Free people read freely.” * WICS | Central Illinois organizations spearhead campaign that relived $3.5 million in medical debt: MBCR partnered with First Baptist Church of Bloomington and created a campaign to relieve medical debt, it was through their collaboration with a national non-profit that made this possible. “We reach out to the provider, and then anyone that is 400% of poverty or below or if the debt is a large burden onto them so that means 5% or more of someone’s income, we will relieve that debt,” said Allison Sesso, CEO of RIP Medical Debt. * WGLT | Laborers call for drivers to slow down after fatal crash near Bloomington I-74 construction zone: In a Facebook post, Laborers Local 362 called the crash “totally preventable” if the semitrailer truck involved had been “going the speed limit and paying attention in the construction zone.” “He wasn’t. So he slammed into the Crash Truck sending the Teamster in the cab to the hospital. He will live, but the semi driver was not as fortunate. Thank Goodness there were Crash Trucks protecting Laborers who were in the middle of the interstate doing the final touches to open a stretch of interstate that has been shut down all summer. Without the Crash Truck, the Laborers would have been exposed to the semi barreling through a construction zone. We are Thankful this wasn’t worse!” the Laborers said on Facebook. * WBBM | Local coalition calls on CPD to ban pretextual traffic stops: Members of the Free2Move coalition are calling on Chicago Police to ban pretextual traffic stops. Members of the coalition spoke at a City Council committee hearing. A member who did not identify herself stated that “Pre-textual stops are the legal loophole that allows police to stop people for minor reasons to fish for other signs of criminal activity, even when they have no suspicion in the first place.” * Crain’s | Zion fears loss of cancer hospital’s tax revenue will devastate city finances: McKinney said after the Zion Nuclear Power Station ceased operation in 1998, the cost to the city in lost property taxes resulted in a 135% increase in the city’s tax rate. He said the city’s been trying to dig out of that hole ever since. And while it was finally able to balance its budget recently after several years, if City of Hope gets a tax break, the city will be “back to square one.” * WGN | The push to protect nursing home residents: Delores Brown died nearly three years ago, after suffering a fall in a nursing home. The Illinois Department of Public Health later determined the facility was fault. But holding anyone accountable has been a challenge, WGN Investigates has found. “I’m very angry,” said Delores’ daughter, Chereese Brown. “Because you trust the facility to take care of your mom.” * ABC Chicago | Libertyville parents sue Volkswagen over tracking of carjacked vehicle with child inside: Last February, Taylor Shepherd was outside her home in Libertyville, about to get her son from the car, when police said two men pulled up, knocked her to the ground, and stole her car with her two-year-old son inside. That toddler was later found in a Waukegan parking lot unharmed. But Volkswagen allegedly refused to give law enforcement the GPS tracking location data from the car because the free trial period had expired. * Sun-Times | Howard Brown health care workers kick off two-day strike, seek better pay and benefits: The union’s demands include a raise of the minimum hourly wage of $21 from $16.07, affordable health insurance, layoff protections and notices, overtime pay for shifts longer than eight hours, remote work options and negotiations before the changes of job duties. * WCIA | ISBE clerical workers picket outside board meeting: Many clerical workers picketed outside of the Springfield ISBE building Monday evening. The group, which is represented by the AFSCME Local 2811, is demanding a higher wage increase in their collective bargaining. Shelley Hamlin, the president of Local 2811, said their salaries have been behind the market average for decades. * SJ-R | Man accused of shooting ISP trooper pleads not guilty to attempted murder: Santana is accused of shooting Chapman-Green more than 10 times, striking him twice in the leg, then hitting the trooper with his firearm, causing a brain bleed and skull and facial fractures. He then fled with law enforcement beginning a nearly three-hour search for him. He was arrested shortly before 2 a.m. * Daily Herald | McHenry County Judge Michael Coppedge dead after falling ill at courthouse Monday: McHenry County Associate Judge Micheal Coppedge, described by colleagues as courteous, brilliant and honorable, died Monday morning after falling ill in his chambers at the courthouse in Woodstock. * AP | Wisconsin Senate approves plan for more than half a billion dollars of public funds to help Milwaukee Brewers repair stadium: The Brewers say 22-year-old American Family Field needs extensive repairs. The stadium’s glass outfield doors, seats and concourses need replacing, the stadium’s luxury suites and video scoreboard need upgrades and the stadium’s signature retractable roof, fire suppression systems, parking lots, elevators and escalators need work, according to the team. Brewers officials initially said the team might leave Milwaukee if they didn’t get public dollars for repairs. Rick Schlesinger, the Brewers’ president of business operations, softened the team’s stance last month, saying the Brewers want to remain in the city “for the next generation.” But the prospect of the team leaving looms. * AP | The Biden administration is slow to act as millions are booted off Medicaid, advocates say: Up to 30 million of the poorest Americans could be purged from the Medicaid program, many the result of error-ridden state reviews that poverty experts say the Biden administration is not doing enough to stop. The projections from the health consulting firm Avalere come as states undertake a sweeping reevaluation of the 94 million people enrolled in Medicaid, government’s health insurance for the neediest Americans. A host of problems have surfaced across the country, including hourslong phone wait times in Florida, confusing government forms in Arkansas, and children wrongly dropped from coverage in Texas.
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Pushes to override Pritzker vetoes faded during veto session
Tuesday, Nov 14, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Capitol News Illinois on August 11…
Subsequent press release from Sen. Rezin…
Sen. Rezin eventually introduced a proposal that only allowed small-scale reactors. Capitol News Illinois…
* Capitol News Illinois back in August…
Two months later in Capitol News Illinois…
No action was taken during session either way on that particular bill. The House passed a bill without the nursing home exemption, but it stalled in the Senate. * Both chambers of the General Assembly voted to accept the governor’s amendatory veto of our next bill, HB2878. WGN in August…
* The governor’s veto stands on this bill as well. From WGEM in October…
The Senate passed a compromise bill, but it was never taken up in the House.
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Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, please
Tuesday, Nov 14, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * WBEZ headline…
* From the story…
* Last graf…
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‘Rare’ solution heralded
Tuesday, Nov 14, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * As we discussed in September, Rep. Bob Morgan (D-Deerfield) held a hearing to discuss “ongoing delays in licensure processing by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.” Morgan noted at the time that “The delays have led to many professionals, including nurses and other health care workers, as well as their employers, having to worry about their ability to keep working should their licenses lapse.” IDFPR Secretary Mario Treto, Jr. dropped a bombshell at the hearing, saying that after several months of attempting to purchase licensing software through a joint purchase master contract, the agency had given up…
Treto promised he’d keep working on it. * More from that September hearing from Hannah Meisel…
* Well, a legislative solution may have been found. From the synopsis of HB2394 as amended…
* From the NASW-IL…
* From Rep. Bob Morgan…
* Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton…
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Major Chicago news outlet finally notices decline in migrant influx
Tuesday, Nov 14, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * As we’ve been discussing, on October 20th, the City of Chicago reported that 28 buses carrying migrants had arrived in the previous seven days. That was down from 53 during the week ending October 6. On October 27, that weekly number had fallen to 16, and was reported as 15 a week later. This past week, the number remained at 15 buses. The Sun-Times has finally noticed the trend…
The number of new arrivals in staging areas dropped about 22 percent, from 3,228 the previous week to 2,529 by last Friday. This is a trend we’ve noticed for a while now. The number of new leases signed jumped to 640 in October, from 125 in July. Again, same upward trend that’s been happening for months. Fox 32 picked up the Sun-Times story, so maybe the word will finally spread. * Meanwhile…
* At that same press conference, a reporter asked this…
And how would the city do that? Surround the buses with armed police officers and force people to go where they don’t want to go? I can think of a few laws off the top of my head that this would be violating. Also, are they going to put armed officers on buses full of people here legally until they reach city limits? Do reporters even stop to think for one second before they pop off like that? That person sounded like George Wallace at the school house door, for crying out loud. Not to mention that the phrase “no more room at the inn” was uttered at a Christian church, of all places. * From Isabel… * Fox Chicago | Chicago law firm steps up to assist migrants free of charge: Compelled to help, Anderson teamed up with his law firm’s pro bono attorneys and other agencies, like the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC), to host a series of free legal clinics. Those sessions served to educate new arrivals on their rights, and guide them on what to do next. “To apply for work permits, to apply for a change of venue – to move their hearings from, let’s say, Denver to Chicago. And fundamentally, just to register their whereabouts with the Department of Homeland Security. So they needed to go online basically,” said Anderson. Meanwhile, city officials have launched a pilot program for a one-stop work authorization clinic that aims to serve at least 150 migrants per day. It’s being done in partnership with the White House and The Resurrection Project (TRP). * Pioneer Press | Oak Park taking the lead on ‘coordinated western suburban response’ to migrant crisis, looking for others to partner, officials say: Oak Park resident Derek Eder also voiced his support for the the village rendering aid. “Let’s show them that love wins over fear, and let’s show them that diversity is strength. Let’s show them that this crisis is actually an opportunity to enrich the lives of our new arrivals and to enrich the lives of our own village,” Eder said. “Let’s show them what Oak Park really stands for.” * WGN | CPD officers helps migrant kids write new stories with donated books: Officer Jesus Magallon began his mission to hand out books to the children, newly arrived in Chicago over the summer. He saw the children of those newly arrived migrants and noticed they didn’t have any books. He set out to change that. […] He has given away hundreds so far. Many of them came from Bernie’s Book Bank on the North Shore. * Sun-Times Editorial Board | Catholic Charities of San Antonio does Chicago no favors by failing to give a heads-up when migrants are on the way: Catholic Charities of San Antonio said in a statement: “Catholic Charities does not direct or suggest travel to any specific location, and migrants have been advised at times not to travel to certain areas due to a possible lack of services. However, Catholic Charities cannot prevent migrants from traveling to their preferred locale.” But parts of those statements are hard to square with migrants who have told the Sun-Times they chose Chicago based on a recommendation by Catholic Charities of San Antonio. San Antonio is among the first stops for many migrants. Its local Catholic Charities operates the Migrant Resource Center. When migrants insist that Chicago is their choice, at least give city officials or Catholic Charities in Chicago some notice. A phone call will do.
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It’s not as simple as they’re making it look
Tuesday, Nov 14, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * CBS 2 in May…
* Shaw Local in July…
* Shaw Local in September…
* Sun-Times in late September…
* Shaw Local in late October…
* Shaw Local yesterday…
* From an Illinois Families for Public Schools report shared with legislators last month…
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Open thread
Tuesday, Nov 14, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on? Keep it Illinois-centric please…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Tuesday, Nov 14, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Most juvenile detention centers in Illinois are failing to meet state standards. Injustice Watch…
- In Knox County’s Mary Davis Home, young people are confined to their cells for 24 hours as a disciplinary measure. - Last year, just four of the 16 county-run detention centers throughout the state were in full compliance with state standards. So far this year, two out of eight inspected juvenile jails have been found compliant. * Related stories… ∙ AP: Children face solitary confinement in cells at Illinois juvenile detention facility, ACLU says ∙ Reason Mag: Illinois Youth Lockup Is ‘No Place for Children,’ According to ACLU Lawsuit ∙ ProPublica: Inside Illinois’ Youth Lockups, Children Go Without Basic Services and Face “Excessive” Punishments * Isabel’s top picks… * Jim Salma | This is a powerful solution for climate change: “Common Ground” offers a simple message: Let’s grow nutrient-dense food in a manner that sequesters vast amounts of carbon in our soil. According to the Rodale Institute, if we converted all global croplands and pastures to regenerative and organic, we could sequester more than 100% of current annual CO2 emissions. Farmers using these practices grow organically, using crop rotations, cover crops and, in many cases, rotational grazing of livestock and/or poultry. The result is incredibly healthy, carbon-rich soil and food loaded with nutrients, minerals and vitality. * Tribune | Staffer recommends Illinois regulators deny approval for Wolf CO2 pipeline, one of 2 under consideration by state: The staff member, gas engineer Brett Seagle, also said that the pipeline, a project of Denver-based Wolf Carbon Solutions U.S., should not be approved until new federal safety regulations are completed. “The lives and safety of Illinois citizens must come before business concerns,” Seagle said in Oct. 24 testimony filed with the Illinois Commerce Commission. * Windy City Times | IDHS head Dulce Quintero reflects on making history, being an advocate: Dulce Quintero has always believed in helping people—and decades of doing so has resulted in an especially noteworthy achievement. Recently, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker appointed Quintero, a member of the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame, as secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), making them the first nonbinary individual to helm a state agency. On Nov. 30, the Association of Latinos/as/xs Motivating Action (ALMA) will present Quintero with the inaugural ALMA del Líder (Soul of A Leader) award to celebrate this development. * Here’s the rest of your morning roundup… * Forbes | Illinois Becomes First State To Roll Back School Voucher Program: Tax credit scholarships create the illusion that taxpayers are not footing the voucher bill. But the Invest In Kids tax credits created a hole in the budget as large as $75 million; taxpayers can either fill the gap by paying more, or accept cuts in services. Directly or indirectly, taxpayers pay the price for tax credit scholarships. That’s why Kentucky’s supreme court rejected that states tax credit scholarship program. “The money at issue cannot be characterized as simply private funds,” the court wrote, “rather it represents the tax liability that the taxpayer would otherwise owe.” * Capitol News Illinois | Lawmakers pass bill aimed at modernizing professional licensing in Illinois: The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation has failed to meet its goals to speed up both initial licensing and renewals in key industries as applications to the agency grew by 15 percent between 2019 and 2022. IDFPR’s director called the situation a “crisis” earlier this fall when testifying before lawmakers at a committee hearing on the issues facing the agency. * Patch | Elmhurst State Lawmaker Bowing Out: Elmhurst’s state representative has decided against running for a second two-year term. Meanwhile, an Elmhurst alderwoman is planning to run for the seat. On Oct, 30, Ward 1 Elmhurst Alderwoman Marti Deuter set up an account with the state Board of Elections to run in March as a Democrat in District 45. * WTTW | Following Sluggish Start and COVID Delay, Trial of Former Ald. Ed Burke to Resume This Week: Proceedings were slow going last week, which was marked by the extensive questioning of dozens of potential jurors and at least one confirmed COVID-19 case that brought the case to a halt before it could truly get going. * WBEZ | Right turn on red? With pedestrian deaths rising, US cities are considering bans: The United States is one of few major countries that generally allow right turns on red. Concerned that cars idling at stop lights could compound an energy crisis, the U.S. government warned states in the 1970s that they could risk some federal funding should cities prohibit right on red, except in specific, clearly marked areas. Although another energy-conscious provision capping speed limits at 55 mph has long been abandoned, right on red has endured. “It’s an example of bad policy,” said Bill Schultheiss, director of engineering at Toole Design Group, which consults with public transportation agencies. “It made sense in the context of the gas crisis, but it was way oversold on what it would achieve. It’s a mandate that doesn’t consider the full consequences.” * WTTW | Ethics Board Dismisses Complaint Prompted by Lori Lightfoot’s Campaign Cash Pleas to City Employees: Ethics Board Chair William Conlon did not explain the board’s decision, which reverses an earlier unanimous decision by the board to find there was probable cause Lightfoot had violated the city’s ethics ordinance, upholding Witzburg’s determination. The board’s decision to dismiss the complaint against the former mayor came after attorneys for the former mayor vigorously fought any finding of wrongdoing for nearly six months. Lightfoot, who left office in May, appointed all of the current members of the Chicago Board of Ethics, as well as Witzburg. * Tribune | Aldermen move to establish quiet zone around downtown abortion clinic: The City Council’s Public Safety Committee voted to bar protesters from using a bullhorn, loudspeaker or hitting a drum or other object “to produce a sharp percussive noise so as to interfere with the functions” of Family Planning Associates clinic. * WGN | Faith leaders join Johnson in call for patience amid Chicago’s migrant relief efforts: Addressing the latest concerns at the Indiana Avenue Pentecostal Church of God in Bronzeville, Johnson was joined by Bishop Simon Gordon with the Triedstone Church of Chicago. Gordon asked Chicagoans to stand with their mayor as the city navigates their plans for the unhoused. “We have to be good citizens and be able to accept and deal with those who come in to be a part of the process,” Gordon said. * Evanston Review | Evanston council postpones final vote on Northwestern’s Ryan Field rebuild till Nov. 20: The vote to table was 6-2. Council members Krissie Harris and Devon Reid voted against tabling. The pair, along with Councilmember Bobby Burns, held a town hall meeting Thursday to get further comment from residents. Reid said he felt he and other council members who put in the effort to negotiate with the university were being overpowered by those who hadn’t come to the table. * Tribune | R. Kelly sues YouTuber and federal employee alleging ’chaos and discord’ over leaked jail conversations: In all, more than 60 federal employees illegally accessed R. Kelly’s emails and phone calls, and some of them leaked or sold the information to the outside world — including YouTuber “Tasha K” and a Washington Post reporter, according to the suit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Chicago. * Tribune | Bankruptcy at Friendship Village retirement community in Schaumburg has financial impact on residents and families too: Her dispute is over Friendship Village’s policy of only paying back entry fees upon the resale of a resident’s unit. The facility — the largest not-for-profit retirement community in Illinois, with 815 units — didn’t resell Kroll’s one-bedroom unit, so hadn’t paid his family back. Now that Friendship Village has entered bankruptcy, families of former residents are unlikely to ever receive full repayment, which Barnes and other families see as a betrayal of what they were promised. * Daily Herald | Is your Nicor bill going up by $9 a month? The ICC decides Thursday: Residents across 37 counties that include the suburbs will learn Thursday if Nicor Gas rates will spike by an average of $111 annually. The Illinois Commerce Commission is set to vote on Nicor’s controversial request for a $321 million increase, which the utility says will help modernize its system and meet rising energy prices. * Tribune | The federal government wants to demolish 2 historic State Street skyscrapers. Preservationists are mobilizing in opposition.: Advocates and neighborhood residents lined up at a public hearing Monday to plead for the survival and renovation of the vacant Century and Consumers Buildings, at 202 and 220 S. State St. The federal government owns the pair, and for several years has sought to raze the structures, claiming that if they were redeveloped and occupied it could pose an unacceptable security risk to employees in the modernist federal courthouse just to the west at 219 S. Dearborn St. * AP | Supreme Court’s New Ethics Code Does Not Appear to Impose Any Significant New Requirements: The code leaves compliance to the justices themselves and does not create any other means of enforcement. The issue has vexed the court for several months, over a series of stories questioning the ethical practices of the justices. Many of those stories focused on Justice Clarence Thomas and his failure to disclose travel and other financial ties with wealthy conservative donors including Harlan Crow and the Koch brothers. But Justices Samuel Alito and Sonia Sotomayor also have been under scrutiny. * NBC Chicago | Suburban middle school teacher sets remarkable world record: Guinness World Records has named Paul the longest working social studies teacher in the world, with 53 years on the job. The honor took him by surprise. “In fact, I didn’t believe it at first,” he said. * Tribune | Chicago Bears want to see Justin Fields do full-team work in practice before deciding on status vs. Detroit Lions: Eberflus said the Bears want to see how Fields looks in full-team work before determining whether he can play for the first time since Oct. 15. The Bears will hold a full practice Wednesday. “Once we see him in the game of football in terms of going against the scout team and taking snaps and playing full speed, then we’ll make a determination,” Eberflus told reporters after practice. “But it’s not there today.”
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